Dixon 3-piece Low D recording

[DrPhill]

For those who are interested I have plucked up my courage and posted a recording of the Dixon three piece low D on clips and snips. Its filed under slow airs and is called 'Lamment for Staker Wallace'

I hope my playing does justice to the whistle, but I doubt it. This is my first posted recording, and I am feeling very self conscious, but welcome criticism......

[gerardo1000]

Phil, this is a great piece of music and you play great !
It shows also that you achieved very good control of the whistle (while I am still struggling to prevent the
low D note to break). I don't know if it's the recording, but your Dixon also seems a bit more "breathy" than the one I have, which sounds more like a flute.

[benhall.1]

Great stuff, Dr Phill. I have just one - hopefully constructive - comment. Go back to that YouTube link you sent me, and allow yourself more time in some of the faster spots. See what she does with those alternating d's and B's for instance. Sometimes it's just lingering just a minute amount on just one note ...

Lovely stuff overall. Thanks for sharing.

[DrPhill]

Thank you both for your positive comments - the post was originally meant to demo the whistle, but my ego crept in a little as well (hence the echo).

Gerado:

The whistle sounds breathier (?) to me in the recording than it does when I am playing - there are three possible causes. One is that the whistler hears a different sound to the audience. The other is that I have a low tech recording set-up. My lady says that the recording sounds breathier than my 'live' playing. So may be both effects are at work. Try recording yourself and playing it back.

The third possible cause is my playing style. I am not sure how much this would affect breathiness. The only way I can think to shed some light is for me to record something for you on my Overton.

As far as the octave control goes - I initially had difficulty, but I play the Dixon gently and the problem seems largely to have gone. Swapping between the Dixon and the Overton is getting easier. They are such different whistles that I think I am learning something deeper from being able to swap. I am learning to feel the difference in the whistle requirements as I play. Maybe another low D would add to the education (hey - another reason for WhOAD).

Ben:
Yes, constructive thanks. I was aware that my timing would be a little random. I like slow airs a lot, but cant seem to manage to fit them to a metronome the way I can reels and jigs and stuff. I try to learn parrot-fashion and hope the timing sinks in subconsciously. Probably a good way to develop bad habits.
Oh, in case anyone is interested, here is a much better rendition of the tube that I use for inspiration. Lovely sound, I must learn to play my whistle sideways one day.

[benhall.1]

Ah ... No, I didn't mean to imply that your timing was "random", DrPhill. I was trying to encourage you to play about with the timing a bit more, and linger on some of the notes - kind of lovingly, if you see what I mean. As for learning by ear, which is what I take it you mean by learning "parrot-fashion" ... I hope I don't detect a note of apology there do I? It's by far and away the best way to learn this stuff. And, for the record, I think you're doing great. I was impressed by the recording you made. It was, as I said, lovely stuff.

btw, I'd love to hear a bit of you doing a jig or a reel. I think it would be instructive. For me, that is ...

[DrPhill]

Thanks Ben, I hope I didn't sound defensive or whatever. I will listen again to Muireann Nic Amhlaoimh (which is no hardship atall)......... I see what you mean by slowing down on some of the notes. I must learn to relax (somehow having the recording button on gets in the way)

By 'parrot fashion' I did mean by ear. I was not apologising, but I was trying not to overstate my abilities. I find it difficult to identify pitch by ear (I am getting better but I am not confident enough yet). So I use abc to identify the notes or good approximations. Then I listen to the tune/rhythm being played (preferably by a human and not a midi generator) as I am hopeless at extracting rhythm from the written page. Then I practice. Then, with some tunes, ornamentation starts to happen. By this time the tune may be somewhat different from where I started. This might not be a good thing

As for the jig or reel - well its a while since I seriously tried one, but for you I will have a go. Did you have any particular one in mind? I might remember St Annes Reel and polish it up....

[benhall.1]

St Anne's will do fine, DrPhill. I look forward to it. I might even play along ...

[hoopy mike]

Nice playing, Phil. I have a one-piece Dixon low D (well, it's tunable, so strictly speaking it's a two piece). I've often wondered if I should stick with it or buy a more expensive metal low whistle. Maybe hearing you play the same tune on your Overton would be useful for me to hear if the tone is vastly different (I won't say better, because it's all subjective).

[gerardo1000]

Mike, the tone between an Overton and a Dixon low D one/two piece polymer is different, for sure.
But the tone of the Dixon is very good, warm and mellow and a bit chiffy.
The big difference is between the backpressure: the Dixon is a very "easy blower", while the
Overton requires more effort. Positive and negatives: with the Dixon, it is more difficult not to "break" unintentionally into the higher octave, but it is easier to play in trhe higher octave.
With the Overton, no risk to break octaves unintentionally, but you need more practice to play the second octave.

[DrPhill]

Nice playing, Phil. I have a one-piece Dixon low D (well, it's tunable, so strictly speaking it's a two piece). I've often wondered if I should stick with it or buy a more expensive metal low whistle. Maybe hearing you play the same tune on your Overton would be useful for me to hear if the tone is vastly different (I won't say better, because it's all subjective).

The two-piece and three-piece Dixon whistles probably play differently as the latter is a tapered tube. This weakens the low end a little, but makes the top end more accessible (I think - experts please correct me).
I agree with Gerado's assessment. You can ask Colin to make an Overton as an easy blower but I got the impression that he is not keen so to do. Mine is a medium blower. One day I would like to try a hard blower, but more from curiosity than any belief that I would be able to play it.

I am practising the reel, Ben, but I took the easier task first:
LammentForStakerWallace on Overton low D. Which is probably just as well, as I am recovering from a stomach bug. That is my excuse for 'playing a different version' in the middle. I used the same settings as the previous recording but wanted to upload it to C&F2 which meant a video. So then I played with pictures added to the sound. Sorry if it is a bit big.

Since this was a sound comparison, I practised less beforehand, which I think shows. I did try stretching the alternating B d notes a bit. Thinking about that slowed the whole piece down.

Anyway I hope that helps

[MTGuru]

Hi Phill, Obviously you're making great progress. Clean fingering, nice breath control and support. Two cavils:

1. Can you nix the rapid breath vibrato? It sounds artificial and classical, and is not good trad technique. It's one of the hardest first habits for classical flute players to break. Some nice finger vibrato is always appropriate, but in moderation. Otherwise, a straight and steady tone is best.

2. The recordings are overly breathy, which buries the whistle tone. This is often a problem when recording low whistles. Next time, try experimenting with microphone placement not directly in front of the fipple, off to the side, or with a bit more distance between the mike and the whistle.

I'd also like to hear a dance tune, a jig or reel, for diagnostics. Keep it up!

[Mick Down Under]

Geez MT, Your really gonna make him work for it ain't cha...


Mick

[DrPhill]

Geez MT, Your really gonna make him work for it ain't cha...
Mick

I guess so, but I appreciate the feedback. Thanks MTGuru.

I am not sure where the vibrato came from - I hadn't noticed it until I started recording myself. Trying to stop it might be a trial - but hey I need something else to think abut as I whistle . Seriously, is it 'unattractive' or 'bad ITM'. If the former I am more worried than if it is the latter, though being able to control its occurrence is desirable in either case.

The mic thing should be more easily sorted. I am entirely clueless in recording matters - so your comments will help a lot. I do stand several feet back from the mic, but turning sideways is an easy thing to try. Again I had not really thought about it until now, but that is the beauty of a forum like this, I learn things I didn't realize I needed to. (That is meant to be a positive but could sound negative).

Thanks

[hoopy mike]

I like the bluebells very much.

Maybe I should buy that metal low D...

[benhall.1]

I think that's lovely, DrPhill.

Before I say anything else, if I were to post playing here, I'd want anybody who knows - eg the Guru - to tell me what was wrong. (I know you were being a bit tongue-in-cheek though, Mick.)

My comment on the vibrato thing is - it's both unattractive and bad ITM. But, personally, I didn't think you did it too much. Maybe a little bit. For my money, I thought the Guru was being a bit picky there, but hey, that's how we improve, right?

I don't think you've quite 'got' what I meant by lingering over bits of those BdBd bits - I was thinking of the way it was done in that YouTube link you gave me. She does it just on single notes, choosing carefully which notes she does it on, so the phrase itself isn't necessarily slower. Hard to think of in the heat of battle, eh?

Still, I thought both your clips were really nice to listen to. I was surprised, particularly as I hadn't got anything much from the dots (other than the key!).